Norpro Ice Pop Maker Reviews
Purchase the famous Norpro Ice Pop Maker. This popular item is currently available. For this great price, the Norpro Ice Pop Maker comes widely recommended and is a popular choice amongst lots of people. With so many on offer right now, it is wise to have a make you can recognise. This is certainly that and will be a great buy. The manufacturer have included some great touches and this results in great value for money. You can believe this review, i hope you can try to buy this product if you want know this product. Note (10/5/2012) : From the latest photo, it looks like there is a new blue plastic lid, either instead of, or in addition to - the original slotted aluminum lid. My review is for the model w/ just the aluminum lid.]
I love this popsicle maker - it's very well made and easy to use - especially for the price (which seems to vary between $11.xx and $17.xx by the season (sometimes by the hour !) - I paid $13.xx Winter-2011).
And I like the classic popsicle shape it makes and that it uses standard pops sticks. If you use a pops maker with custom sticks/holders, remember that you're going to have to collect them back from everyone later on.
I think I've used it 40-50 times by now - guess I have a little problem.
But some of the low star reviews I've read, it's like they're talking about another product.
I haven't had any problems with sharp edges, slots being the wrong size, removing the pops, or cleaning it.
A few comments & tips - quite a few here, but all-in-all it's really pretty easy to use:
1. METAL EDGES :
I'm not sure how (a few) people are deciding that there are sharp metal edges.
After reading about this I took the edge, and then the corner, and rubbed it up and down my cheek a couple of times - and nothing happened. I am a 6'-2" male, but I'm not made of leather either. You're definitely not going to get a good shave from it by any means.
So maybe the manufacturing is better now - I don't know - but I never had a problem with anything sharp - not even close.
In general the thing is very well made in my opinion.
2. FILLING :
Fill the popsicle mold to about 1/4" from the top - you will see a ridge there where you should stop filling - that will allow room for the mix to expand as it freezes.
3. INSERTING THE STICKS :
I have not had any trouble with sticks and the size of the holes, as some have remarked. Perhaps pops sticks are not entirely uniform in size ? Just make sure the sticks are dry - if they are wet they will swell and then you'll have problems.
The problem some people are having is that there is nothing initially to hold the sticks from veering off vertical before the mix starts to solidify. Wood, being less dense than water tends to want to float up. And if the sticks don't stay vertical, it's hard to get the metal lid off.
There are two ways to handle this :
--3a : Fill the popsicle maker, start freezing it, then wait about 1 to 1-1/2 hours before inserting the sticks (although that depends a bit on your freezer's temp and how cold the mix is to begin with.) After that time, the mix will have solidified enough that it will hold the sticks vertical.
--3b : For a bit of an engineered but slightly goofy solution, clip a 1-1/4" binder clip to each stick so the little silver handles are horizontal. That way you won't have to remember to insert the sticks later. I found the smaller clips don't have enough weight - the sticks can still tilt off vertical.
See my PHOTO above, underneath the product image.
After the pops freeze, remove all the clips so they don't rust over time.
For any method, insert the sticks - not all the way - but so they stick up about 1-1/4" to 1-1/2".
If you put them in all the way there isn't enough to hold on to later on, and when licking/eating them you'll be working around too much stick, so to speak.
(Make sure you actually use the aluminum lid - if you don't, the exposed ends of the pops will dry out too much - my current theory anyway.)
4. STICKS
For stick supply I just buy the box of 1000 craft sticks from Amazon - the size is right and they always work :
Loew Cornell 1021254 Woodsies Craft Sticks
I'm really not too worried about food grade sticks after backpacking all these years.
If you're really concerned you can dunk them in a bleach solution for about one minute.
(You know that's how they keep all that packaged lettuce from going bad ?)
It depends on the strength of your bleach : you can use 3 TblSpns/gal for 2% bleach, all the way down to 1T/gal for 6%. The chlorine will just evaporate after it dries but it's pretty dilute anyway. (Btw, 1T = 3tsp)
Let them dry out before placing in the mold.
5. REMOVING POPSICLES & STORING :
Run individual popsicles in the mold under hot water for 10-20 seconds each. If you want to remove more simultaneously, soak for similar time in a vessel of hot water. (Some people have figured out how to remove the actual individual plastic receptacles, but I don't think it's really designed to do that.)
Also I'm not too big on the idea of nonstick spray, which is an oil - and oil and popsicles doesn't sound appealing to me.
Next, you can wrap them in waxed paper - it's cheap and there is no need to waste a non-biodegradable petroleum product like plastic wrap. Some people then store them in ziplocks; I use a tupperware type container.
6. CLEANING :
I don't use the dishwasher - I have a 3/4" dia. bottle brush which works great for cleaning - quick & easy.
7. RECIPES :
Remember, your sense of sweetness is much weaker for frozen things like popsicles. So your recipes will need to taste much sweeter at room temp for them to seem about right when frozen.
8. EMULSIFIER - Guar Gum :
Almost all recipes will benefit from using an emulsifier (this is true for ice cream as well actually). An emulsifier ensures that the ice crystals formed will be smaller, thus the popsicles will have a MUCH smoother texture. Without one you will find most pops have a texture of compacted snow balls.
I use Guar Gum powder which I get at a local health food store, but it's also available from Amazon. There are other emulsifiers like Agar-Agar but that costs a lot more, and Guar is more typically used for ice cream and popsicles.
For Guar use a maximum of 1 tsp. per quart - if you use too much the pops will be gooey or slimy. Some recipes require less - e.g. strawberry mixes.
It can be hard to mix in - so mix in slowly and use an egg beater or blender.
And don't let it sit mixed in for hours or it really will get too gooey.
I rarely make pops without it - it REALLY helps.
**6/15/2012 - I just heard on NPR this afternoon . . . Guar is used big time in fracking . . . prices going up. Weird.
You made it to the end - I do have a life and have to get back to it so . . . Good luck - it's fun !
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Norpro Ice Pop Maker Price
| List Price: | $17.49 |
| Price: | $13.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
| You Save: | $4.49 (26%) |
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Norpro Ice Pop Maker Overview
Norpro Ice Pop Maker Feature
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Norpro Ice Pop Maker Detail
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 4 inches ; 1.6 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
- ASIN: B0002IBJOG
- Item model number: 423
Norpro Ice Pop Maker Other Resource
Ice (disambiguation) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaIce is the solid form of water, or, more generally, any frozen volatile. Ice or ICE may also refer to: Digital ICE, Image Correction and Enhancement, for removing ...
Ice hockey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber hockey puck into their opponent's net to score points.
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